Preservative flagstaff



(No Model.) 7 2 SheetS Sheet 1. W. ANDERSON 81; J. GIBBONS. PRESERVATIVE FLAGSTAFF ORNAMENT .OR WEATHER YANE.

Patented Mar. 5, 1895.

WITNESSES:

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WILLIAM ANDERSQN, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., AND JAMES GIBBONS, OF

JERSEY CITY, NEW JERSEY.

PRESERVATIVE FLAGSTAFFORNAMENT OR WEATHER-NAME.

$PECIFIGATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 535,044, dated March 5, 1895.

Application filed March 20, 1894:: Serial No. 504,470. (No model.)

To 60% whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, WILLIAM ANDERSON, residing at the city of New York, county and State of New York, and JAMES GIBBONS, residing at Jersey City, in the county of Hudson and State of New Jersey,citizens of the United States, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in FlagPoles and WVeather-Vanes, of which the following is a specification.

Our invention has for its object to promote the preservation of poles or staffs and flag adjusting or weathervane appliances thereon.

In some features the invention is applicable to telegraph or other poles, posts, booms or masts.

It is well known that when flag or weather vane poles are made with a solid wood ball top ornament, held to the pole by a metal rod driven or set into it, the pole is liable to split and to decay at or next the rod and the ball itself is also liable to split and show wide cracks by exposure to changes of weather and temperature. These ravages of the weather are sources of annoyance and expense to those owning the poles, who are too frequently required to have the poles repaired by filling weather cracks in the top ball, and in the pole top, and at times a decayed portion of the pole top must be cutaway and the parts then be refitted or readjusted. The metal rod also rusts and deposits metallic oxides on the pole which spread over and discolor its exterior and necessitate too frequent painting of the pole and its appurtenances. These repair and repainting operations are dangerous and quite expensive as the comparatively slender and flexible poles must be carefully climbed by expert riggers who alone can do the work properly. By our invention these annoyances are obviated and we provide a pole or staff useful as a flag pole or as a support for a weather vane having any desired design; and which seldom requires repairs, readjustments or repainting.

The means we employ for preserving the top of the pole and thereby assuring the safety and durability of the weather-vane or other appliances thereon, comprise a permanently attached, preferably metallic, reservoir which maintains a constant supply of oil or other suitable preservative fluid or substance to the top portion of the pole. This reservoir is formed of a hollow ball or other ornament which is not influenced inj urionsly by weather changes and is held securely to the b fiw in a manner preventing escape of the oil or preservative agent to the outside of the pole, whereby the entire flag pole and weather vane appliances are maintained in perfect and cleanly condition for a prolonged period without attention or expense.

Various noveldetails of construction contribute to the simplicity, inexpensiveness and efficiency of the whole structure.

The invention will first be described and then will be particularly defined in claims hereinafter set forth.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification, 7o and in which similar numerals indicate corresponding parts in all the views.

Figure 1, is a vertical sectional view of our improvements, showing a weather-vane in the common form of an arrow. Fig. 2, is a detail plan view with the oil reservoir stem or tube-- in horizontal section on the line 50,510, in Fig. 1. i Fig. 3, is a detail vertical sectional view, the flag halyard truck being cut on the line y, y, in Fig. 2, and Figs to 8,show modifications hereinafter referred to.

In a preferred construction, shown in Figs.

1, 2, and 3 of the drawings, and wherein the pole or staff 1, is adapted to support both a dag and a weather-vane, as is very commonly done, we prefer to reduce the top of the pole thereby providing a part 2, of smaller diame ter and a horizontal shoulder 3. This shoulder sustains the revoluble truck or head plate 4, which fits around the part 2, and has one or more pulleys 5, over which pass the flag halyards 6. In these views we show the pole bored endwise and centrally for some little distance from the top to form an interior chamber or channel 7, within which is fitted or placed the tubular feeding stem 8, of the reservoir 9, containing oil or other wood preservative fluid or substance 10. This reservoir is preferably made in the spherical or ball form shown, and of metal, but it may roc have any desired form and may be made of any material which will not split or crack by changes of weather or temperature.

It is not necessary, in order to secure firm hold of the reservoir to the pole, that the stem 8, be inserted far down within the chamber 7, of the pole, as in or with this preferred construction, we provide a collar 11, which is fastened tightly at its top to the stem and at its larger lower pendent portion fits snugly around and outside of the top portion 2, of the pole and is fastened thereto by screws 12, which as shown also pass through a packing 13, placed inside the collar on top of the pole. WVe prefer, however, to give the preservative fluid reservoir and the superposed weather- Vane appliances or other ornaments the advantage of the increased and very firm support obtained by or from the passage of the reservoir stem 8, far down into the oil channel '7, of the pole as shown in Figs. 1 and 3, of the drawi ngs.

The packing 13, fits snugly to and around the reservoir stem 8, and between the pole top 2, and collar 11, and effectually prevents passage or escape by capillary attraction or otherwise, of any of the oil or preservative fluid or substance from the reservoir or the pole channel '7, to and over the truck halyards or flag, or upon the outer face of the pole itself, thereby preventing soiling of the flag, its halyards or the painted outer face of the pole by the oil, which, were said packing not used, would find its way to these parts. The pole, the halyards and the flag or flags are thus kept clean and in the most presentable condition.

A filling opening is provided at the top of the reservoir and is closed by a threaded cap, 14, fitted loosely enough to allow passage of air into the reservoir to vent its contents, or vent may be given by vertically grooving tightly fitting threads of the cap, or in any other approved manner.

Another feature of the preferred form of the invention consists in fitting to the tight metal collar 11 by a water tight joint a flange plate 15, which at its enlarged lower portion preferably overlaps an upturned flange plate 16, fixed to the top of the flag halyard truck 4, and whereby water will be prevented from entering the joints between the truck and pole and will be shed or thrown outward over the top of the truck.

To facilitate drainage of water from the truck 4, its upper surface may either be inclined downward and outward, as shown in Figs. 1 and 3, or we may in addition to this downward incline (or in case the top of the truck be generally flat or level) form in or at the top of the truck an annulargroove 17, into which water shed from the plate 15, will run and from which groove 17, downwardly inclined radial gutters or grooves 18, pass to the outer edge of the truck, as shown more clearly in Fig. 3, and as indicated by dotted lines in Fig. 2, of the drawings.

Should a weather vane be desired on the flag pole, our invention provides for mounting it on the oil reservoir 9. We prefer to do this by fitting a stationary or non-rotating pin 19, by its lower screw stem into a threaded collar fixed to the top of the reservoir. This pin has an enlargement 20, radially bored and screw threaded to receive the threaded inner ends of four rods or arms 21, carrying the symbols N, S, E, W, indicating the cardinal points of the compass. The upper end of the pin 19, forms the journal for the inverted cup spindle 22, of the weather vane 23, which in the drawings is shown as an arrow made in two aligned parts screwed into opposite theaded openingsof the spindle. Theweathervane may have any other desired arbitrary or fanciful design. Provision also is made for using different or interchangeable top ornaments on the weather-vane by providing its spindle with upper screw threads adapted to receive an ornament 24:, which also may have anydesired design. The vane spindle may be adapted otherwise than by the screw threaded opening to support an ornament, as for instance, it may have exterior screw threads engaging the ornament, or a simple socket and pin connection may be adopted. Screws or pins 25, passed laterally through the Vane spindle 22, and entering an annular slot or groove in the pin 19, prevent dislodgment of the vane while allowing it to respond to wind currents from every direction.

The parts 19,20, and 22 are preferably made from solid brass rods, giving them strength and preventing rusting or sticking of the weather vane and assuring its sensitiveness in operation.

Our invention in its simplest adaptation, embodies the application to a single pole of a directly and permanently connected reservoir holding oil or other wood preservative fluid or compound and adapted to feed or supply said preservative agent fora prolonged period to the top portion of the pole.

\Ve are aware that a detachable bag or vessel has heretofore been temporarily applied for some minutes to the top unchambered end of a recently felled timber in order to at once saturate the end of the green wood with a preservative fluid filled into the vessel. e also know that holes or chambers have been bored or made length wise in telegraph or other poles or timbers at or near their connection with the ground and that a preservative fluid has been supplied to these chambers through lateral openings leading thereto. WVe also are aware that a series of partly submerged timbers or piles used in wharf construction, have had interior chambers which have been supplied with a preservative fluid by means of a distant reservoir connected by a pipe to the chamber of the nearest timber which is connected by a pipe to the chamber of the next timber and so on, throughout the whole series of timbers. Our invention, therefore,

ITO

does not broadlycover or include the preservation of poles or timbers by either externally or internally applied fluids or compounds.

It is obvious that the conditions under which flag poles (and oftentimes telegraph poles), are used, practically forbids the connection by pipes of the top of one polewith the top of another pole. Furthermore, the difficulty of access to the tops of flag poles makes it impracticable to depend on frequent renewal of a preservative agent thereat, and if the poles have the preferred interior top chamber 7, the latter must necessarily have too small capacity, due to the small diameter of the pole. Hence, it will be seen that by directly and permanently connecting to the pole a preservative fluid reservoir which has communication with the pole top or with a comparatively small interior top bore or chamber thereof, and which provides for supplying a preservative agent to the pole top for a prolonged period, we most effectually preserve the pole and its attachments, While at the same time providing by the reservoir itself an ornament to the pole.

The more simple forms of our invention are shown in Figs. 4 to 8, of the drawings, and to which we now briefly refer.

Fig. 4, illustrates that it is not necessary that the pole have atop chamber 7, in order to make our invention practical, and that the reservoir 9, has a tubular stem 8, which has a fixed lower flange 26, through which, and an interposed packing 13, the screws 12, pass into the pole to to hold the reservoir firmly thereto. In this construction reliance is placed upon theabsorptive qualities of the wood of the pole to cause it to absorb or take in through that portion of its top surface corresponding to the area of the bore or opening of the stem 8, a sufficient quantity of the res ervoir fluid to preserve the pole top, while the packing 13, prevents escape of the oil or preservative agent to the exterior surface of the pole. It will however be seen that the construction with the .pole chamber 7, is preferably and especially so when the reservoir stem 8, enters the chamber some distance to feed the oil or preservative agent to the wood of the pole directly at a point some little dis tance below the top surface or extremity of the pole, thereby supplying an abundance of oil to the pole top while lesseningthe chances of escape of the oil to the outside face of the pole.

Fig. 5, shows the tubular stem 8, provided at its lower end with a screw thread 8, which engages the side walls of the chamber 7, to hold the reservoir 9, to the pole top without using screws 12, or otherindependent fastenlngs.

Fig. 6, is like Fig. 5, except that the stem flange 26, is dispensed with and the reservoir 9, has a comparatively flat form and its bottom is drawn tightly by the stem screw-thread 8, against the packing 13, next the pole'top.

Fig. 7, shows how the tubular stem 8, may

"recess 7 formed by enlarging the chamber 7, at the top.

Fig. 8, illustrates how a packing may be dispensed with should the tubular stem 8, be fitted tightly enough to the walls of the chamber 7.

In Figs. 7 and 8, the .reservoiris omitted for convenience of illustration.

The screw-threaded neck 27, of the reservior shown in Figs. 4, 5, and 6, may receive any suitable plug or stopper should the weathervane appliances not be mounted on the reservoir, but if the Weather-vane be used its pivot pin 10, will be screwed into the socket or neck 27, and another opening like the one 14, in Fig. 1, will be provided to permit refilling the reservoir without disturbing the weathervane.

The modifications shown in Figs. 4: to 8,inelusive, of the drawings, illustrate that it is not essential that the pole have a top chamber 7, and that if this chamber be provided itis not essential that the reservoir stem 8, should enter it; and that the collar 11 need not be used outside the pole top in order to obtain sufficiently secure connection of the reservoir alone, or together with the vane appliances, to the pole; and that the fastenings for the reservoir, and also the form of packing, may vary, and that a packing may be dispensed with, all within the scope of our invention.

Having thus described our invention, we claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent 1. The combination, with a pole, of a hollow cap or ornament above the pole top and permanently connected therewith, and constituting a reservoir supplying a preservative agent thereto, substantially as described.

2. The combination, with a pole and a hollow cap or ornament above the pole top and permanently connected therewith and constituting a reservoir supplying a preservative agent thereto, of a packing preventing escape of said agent to the outside of the pole, substantially as described.

3. The combination, with a pole having an interior chamber at its upper end, of a hollow cap or ornament above the pole top and permanently connected therewith and constituting a reservoir supplying a preservative agent to the pole top chamber, substantially as described.

4. The combination, with a pole having an interior chamber at its upper end, and a hollow cap or ornament above the pole top and permanently connected therewith and constituting a reservoir supplying a preservative agent to the pole top chamber, of a packing preventing escape of said agent to the outside of the pole, substantially as described.

5. The combination, with a pole having an interior chamber at its upper end, of a hollow cap or ornament above the pole top having a pendent tubular stem entering said chamber, and constituting a reservoir supplying a preservative agent thereto, substantially as described.

6. The combination, with a pole having an interior chamber at its upper end, and a hollow cap or ornament above the pole top hav ing a pendent tubular stem entering said chamber and supplying a preservative agent thereto, of a packing at the pole top around the tubular stem, substantially as described.

7. A pole having an interior upper chamber, and a preservative reservoir having a pendent tubular stem entering said chamber and provided also with a collar fitting outside the pole top, substantially as described.

8. A pole having an interior upper chamber, a preservative reservoir having a pendent tubular stem entering said chamber and provided also with a collar fitting outside the pole top, and a packing between the reservoir stern and its collar at the pole top, substantially as described.

9. The combination, with a pole and a hollow cap or ornament above the top pole and permanently connected therewith and constituting a reservoir supplying a preservative agent thereto, of a flag halyard truck revoluble on the pole below the reservoir, substantially as described.

10. The combination, with a flag pole, and a halyard truck revoluble horizontally thereon, of water shedding devices at the joint of the truck with the pole shielding said joint from moisture, substantially as described.

11. The combination, with a pole having a hollow cap or ornament permanently attached at its upper end and supplying thereto a preservative agent, of a flag halyard truck horizontally revoluble on the pole below said cap or ornament, and water shedding devices at the joint of the truck with the pole shielding said joint from moisture, substantially as described.

12. A pole having an interior upper chamberapreservative reservoir having a pendent tubular stem entering said chamber and provided also with a collar fitting outside the pole top, a flag halyard truck on the pole, devices shedding water outward and away from the joint of the truck with the pole, and a packing between the reservoir stem and its collar at the pole top, substantially as described.

13. The combination, with a flag pole, of a halyard truck revoluble horizontally thereon and provided at its upper surface with annular and radial water drainage grooves, substantially as described.

14. The combination, with a pole, and a hollow cap or ornament permanently connected at its upper end and forming a reservoir supplying a preservative agent thereto, of a Weather vane supported by and above the reservoir, substantially as described.

15. A pole having a reservoir at its top supplying a preservative agent thereto, a stationary pin on the reservoir carrying arms having symbols indicating points of the compass, a revoluble spindle on said pin carrying a weather-vane, and a detent preventing dislodgment of the vane, substantially as described.

16. A pole having a reservoir at its top supplying a preservative agent thereto, a weather vane mounted above the reservoir, and a flag halyard truck on the pole below the reservoir, substantially as described.

17. In flag pole appliances, the combination with the pole 1, having reduced end 2, shoulder 3, and chamber 7, 'of a flag halyard truck 4, a reservoir 9, having a stem 8, entering the chamber 7, and provided with a collar 11, fitting outside the part 2, of the pole; and an interposed packing 13, substantially as described.

18. In flag pole appliances, the combination with the pole 1, having reduced end 2, a shoulder 3, and chamber 7, of a flag halyard truck 4:, a reservoir 9, having a stem 8, entering the chamber 7, and provided with a collar 11, fitting outside the part 2, of the pole, a flange plate 16, on the truck 4:, and a water shedding flange plate 15, on the collar 11, outside the plate 16, substantially as described.

19. In flag pole appliances, the combination with the pole reservoir 9, having a pin 19 and an enlargement 20, carrying arms 21, and symbols indicating points of the compass, of a cup shaped spindle 22, on the pin 19, carrying a weather-vane, and pins 25, in the spindle entering a groove of the pin 19, substantially as described.

20. The combination, with the pole reservoir 9, of a pin 19, thereon, compass point indicating symbols held to the pin, acup-shaped spindle on the pin 19, carryinga weather-vane, and detents preventing dislodgment of the spindle and vane, said spindle being adapted at its upper end to sustain an ornament above the weather vane, substantially as described.

21. The weather-vane having a pin 19, adapted to a pole support and carrying compass point indicating symbols, a cup shaped spindle 22, revoluble on the pin 10, and a detent holding the spindle to the pin, substantially as described.

22. The Weather vane having a pin 19, adapted to a pole support and carrying compass point indicating symbols, a cup-shaped spindle 22, revoluble on the pin 19 and a detent holding the spindle to the pin, said spindle adapted at its upper end to sustain an ornament above the vane, substantially as described.

WILLIAM ANDERSON. JAMES GIBBONS.

WVitnesses:

HENRY WATKINS ODown, JOHN MOKAY. 

